Sparkle in the Silence of the Night
by NeverYouOnlyMe
Summary: A...YunaxGippal! Only PG13 because of Gippal's filthy mouth. Silly, silly boy.
1. Did you grow something?

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
A Yuna/Gippal fic  
Chapter One: "And don't tell me..."  


A/N: What possessed me to do this? It's simple. I've never seen this done before personally, and I think I can pull it off. So I'm going to give it a shot :D All the characters are © to Square-Enix, not to me. And I think that's all I'll need for the A/N, at least I think so now :D 

_No way. This isn't happening to me. _

The sign hanging on his door told him everything he needed to know, even though he refused to read it. Something had to be wrong-this couldn't happen to him. Running a hand through his unruly blonde hair, Gippal stared at the eviction notice with his good eye. He was the leader of the damn Machina Faction, yet he was still kicked out of his apartment. 

_Beautiful. Just beautiful._

In anger, Gippal punched the door and looked away, then realized something. He really WAS out of a place to live-nobody'd take his dead ass in-unless he paid rent. But if he paid the rent, he'd still be living in his nice little apartment in Luca. Unlike everyone else in the faction, he didn't want to live at Djose Temple. He never got any peace and quiet-something he had always held dear. Going for a solitary walk, thinking about what he had done earlier in the day. But not anymore. Not since he had lost Rikku for good-she wanted nothing to do with him, and he wasn't sure why. She hadn't really cared about him since she met that blonde guy on the airship that liked spaghetti. Gippal sometimes wondered what happened to that guy, but in reality, he didn't care. That jerk had decided to steal his sunshine away. So, if he wasn't dead, Gippal wouldn't mind killing him. 

But he was dead, and had been for a while. Up until Yuna brought him back. There was no way that the former High Summoner dropped everything she was doing and chased down a guy so stupid he didn't even know how to use a fork, and fell off the airship. What an asshole. He wasn't even funny. He was a fiend-not in the traditional sense-but he was still a pain in Gippal's ass. And Gippal would've probably asked Yuna for help, maybe somewhere to stay, except for the fact he didn't want to see...Tontus, that was his name. But he might need to ask her for help for anyway, and the thought was killing him. Not only that, but it would kill his reputation as well. The badass reputation he had worked so hard to build, so hard to create. Running to Yuna to ask her for somewhere to stay was humiliating enough, but having to stay with Tolietus was even worse. 

_Dammit. _

Maybe he could just wander the streets. Either that, or ask Brother for help. Brother might be an idiot, but not nearly as much as Yuna's little boyfriend. At least Brother didn't steal Rikku away from him. Maybe Rikku would help him, give him a hut on the top of Mt. Gagazet or something. Just to freeze him and isolate him from society. Nah, worse. She'd just tell Brother to drop him off in the middle of Bikanel Desert with no supplies. After all he'd done for her, too. 

Taking a walk had always cleared his mind before, and maybe it would help him out now. As he ripped the notice off his door and lit a cigarette, he turned back to the stairwell, went down, and left the building. He knew he only had thirty days to move out, if he was lucky, and he had to hurry up and decide what he was going to do. He had a few choices, come to think of it, but none of them really appealed to him. None but beating T.._.WHAT IS HIS NAME!!! _ Kicking a pebble, Gippal began to walk faster at the mere thought of him. He really didn't like Yuna much, but when it came down to it, she definently deserved better. 

"Gippal? Is that you?" he heard a voice ask, then sighed. Speak of the Shoopuf. 

"Yuna. Good to see you." he said, and she sort-of-ran over to where he was standing. He noticed that she looked happy, somthing that he only saw when she was trying to please someone else. But this time, Yuna looked genuinely cheery, a broad smile across her features, features he hadn't ever considered truly beautiful, but they always stuck out in his mind. 

"How have you been? I'm so sorry about Rikk-" she began, but Gippal turned around. 

"Let's talk about something happy. Your life for example?" he said, and Yuna put her hands on her hips. 

"Well, my life's doing pretty well. Wakka and Lulu still haven't named their son, though." she said, and laughed. "He'll probably have a name when he's fifteen, if he's lucky." 

Gippal shook his head. "Poor kid, but I understand how Wakka's feeling. That's why I could never have kids...all the pressure..." he said, then shook his head. "Anyway, how's Tortus?" 

"Tidus. And he's doing quite well." she said, and Gippal shrugged. 

"Sorry. I'm bad with names." 

"It's all right. Where are you living now? I heard from Rik-someone that you weren't living in Djose Temple anymore." Yuna asked, and Gippal sighed. 

"Nowhere, actually. I just got kicked out of my apartment for not paying the rent on time for three months in a row. I'm lucky they let me stay that long." he said, and Yuna covered her mouth. 

"You know, Gippal. If you need somewhere to stay you can alwa-" she began but Gippal cut her off. 

"When are you gonna learn, Yuna. Everyone can't come running to you whenever they have a problem. I'll get a job somewhere." he said, and Yuna crossed her arms. 

"You're not 'everyone', Gippal. You're my cousin's ex-boyfriend who tried to help us save the world. Not to mention what you did for her." she said, and Gippal chuckled. 

"Wow. Don't tell me you grew a backbone, little Miss Innocent." he joked, and Yuna walked up to him and put her face inches from his. 

"And don't tell me you grew a pair." she said, then walked away, leaving Gippal standing there open-mouthed. _ Holy shit. I just got insulted by High Summoner Yuna. Now I might as well join the pussy club._

He thought, then looked away. 

"Hey, Yuna! I'll take you up on that offer after all!" ~~TBC~~ 


	2. How many names do you HAVE for him?

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
  
A YxG fic!  
  
Chapter Two: "How many names do you HAVE for him?"  
  
A/N: This happens to have a bit of Tidus bashing in it. Mostly that Tidus is stupid, that kind of immature stuff. But I just want to warn you before you read this, that some Tidus fans...might not like this part. Or this fic, come to think of it.   
  
"All right, Gippal. You can stay in this room, okay?" Yuna said, and Gippal nodded, then looked around.  
  
"Yuna, are you sure this is all right?" he asked, and Yuna nodded.  
  
"Yes, Gippal. It's fine. Either way, I'll try to have dinner ready at six-thirty, around the time Tidus comes home. Is that okay?" she asked, and he nodded, then flashed that cocky grin of his.  
  
"What happened to your backbone? Look at you, asking me if it's okay, when I'm the guest. You live here. I'll eat dinner whenever you serve it." he said, and Yuna shook her head and mumbled something.  
  
"What was that?" he asked, and Yuna shook her head. "Nothing important. Either way....just do what you usually do." she said, and turned on her heel and left. Gippal sat down on the bed, then, and sighed. He was too tired to unpack his stuff now, so he just thought he'd take a little nap. Just a little one.  
  
A little one that lasted three hours.  
  
"GIPPAL!!!!" he woke with a start, then, and looked up at Yuna, who was standing in the doorway. "Are you hungry?" she asked, and he nodded. "Dinner is served."   
  
Gippal stood up, then, and followed Yuna downstairs. God, her house was so...nice. It was expected, though, considering her boyfriend was a world famous Blitzball player, and she was the former High Summoner. After he reached the dining room, he was in for an unpleasant surprise. Tortus.  
  
"Hiya! You must be Gippal!" he said, and stuck his hand out. Gippal shook it warily, then sat down on the opposite side of his self-decided enemy. He looked up at Yuna, then, his good eye looking towards the pot.  
  
"What's for dinner?" he asked, and Yuna grinned.  
  
"Spaghetti." she said, and Gippal crossed his arms, then stifled a laugh as the asshole in front of him started to eat the messy food with his fingers.   
  
"Erm...I don't think you're supposed to eat it like that." he said, and Tidus shrugged.  
  
"Hungry..." he mumbled, and Gippal shook his head.   
  
"Tidus, honey, here's a fork." Yuna said, and Tidus gave her the thumbs-up, his hand covered in spaghetti. Gippal stood up, then, and reached for the drawer Yuna was just in. Then he pulled out a fork.  
  
"Thanks for dinner." he said, after taking one or two bites, then got up and left the room. Yuna sighed, then, and followed him.   
  
"I'll be right back!" she called to Tidus, who was still eating.  
  
Yuna ran up the stairs, then, not surprised at Gippal's behavior in a way, but then again in a way she was. Gippal had seemed completely famished when he came downstairs, yet he seemed to lose his appetite   
  
the second he saw Tidus. And that wasn't good. Not good at all.  
  
"Gippal!" Yuna called to the closed door that her visitor stood behind.  
  
"What?" he asked and Yuna sighed.   
  
"That's what I came to ask you. Please, open the door." she said, and he laughed.  
  
"Please, thank you, if you want to." he said, but opened the door. Yuna stepped inside of his room, then shut the door behind her.  
  
"Gippal, why did you leave after not eating much?" she asked, and Gippal crossed his arms.  
  
"Other than Re-Tardus's performance downstairs?" he asked, and Yuna slapped him.  
  
"Whether you like him or not, Gippal, you're stuck with him if you want to stay he-" she began but he cut her off.  
  
"You offered me, I didn't ask you." he said.  
  
"That wasn't my point. I invited you because I didn't think you'd be that mean to Tidus." she said, and Gippal frowned.  
  
"You made spaghetti on purpouse, didn't you?" he asked her, but she looked puzzled. "You didn't hear? Rikku left me over some asshole who decided to intrude on our airship and eat spaghetti? He didn't even use a fork. And Rikku loved him, she loved him a lot. Put me into second place. And I *hate* being in second place, Yuna. And your little assprick boyfriend is the guy Rikku left me for. It's hard enough to look at him, but he's so stupid! Yuna, you deserve better!"   
  
"Rikku...loved Tidus?" she asked, and Gippal nodded. "She could've at least told me."   
  
"Oh, she told me all right." he said, and Yuna sighed, then leaned up against the wall.  
  
"Gippal, I'm sorry about the spaghetti. I just knew he liked it, I didn't know about the history you had with it." she said, then sighed. "If you want to, I'll make something else."   
  
"You wanna know what *I* want? I want you to turn back into that girl that asked me if I just grew a pair in the park! It doesn't matter what happens, Yuna, but you're always sorry, always diving into trouble headfirst, always trying to fix everyone else's problems. Don't you ever put your foot down?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, I do. And I'm going to stomp it all over your face if you don't leave right now." she said, and he laughed.  
  
"Now that's more like it." he said, and Yuna left the room. "Yuna?" he called, and she turned around and walked back to the doorway.  
  
"I was serious." she said, and sighed. "I've learned more than I ever want to know about you, and you haven't even been here a whole day."  
  
"Yuna...don't kick me out." he asked, and she shook her head.  
  
"Should've thought about that before you decided to pick on 'Re-Tardus'." she said, and Gippal sighed, then turned around.  
  
"What if some girl stole him away from you? Would you like her?" he asked, and Yuna walked over to him.  
  
"No, but then again, I wouldn't stay at their house either." 


	3. How am I gonna get that stain out?

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
Chapter Three: How am I gonna get this stain out?? 

A/N: A huge love-hug to all my readers! I LOVE YOU!!!! It's you that inspire me to keep going, and I sure am happy that you all like this ficcy! You're all loverly ^_~ Also, this has a soft-core scene that you might want to sheild your virgin eyes from ^_^ (that is, if you have 'virgin eyes'). Just a little warning. And to clear things up, the italics is a dream, kids. ^_~ 

((~*~)) 

"That's nice. But Yuna, I like you a lot. You really...impress me in a way. It's like...you just CAN'T say no. Come on, once every now and then." Gippal protested, and Yuna shook her head. 

"You tell me that I never say no, yet you beg me not to kick you out of my house." she said, and he sighed. 

"Just give me one more day. Please?" he asked, and she uncrossed her arms. 

"All right. Since you asked nicely." she said, and Gippal grimaced. 

"You got yourself a deal. Now I'm going to go to sleep." he said, and Yuna shrugged. 

"Fine with me." she said, then shut the door. Gippal stood up, then, and looked out the window. Did Retardus even know what he had? Yuna was actually a one-in-a-million girl, and her cousin, which he could've just so easily had, was a one-in-a-trillion girl. And here he was, eating with his fingers and belching. 

And people say the Ronso are stupid. 

Either way, Gippal didn't really feel like doing much thinking, so he just set his mind to sleeping. After laying down, he thought for a few seconds, then fell asleep almost instantly. 

((~*~)) 

_ "Where am I?" Gippal asked the desert, realizing almost instantly he was all alone. Nobody was coming to save him, that was for sure. He only had himself to rely on-the best tool of all-and began to look around, in case he could find some food without having to shoot up a Cactuar. They really did make good meals, but when it comes down to it, he was the one who had accidentally eaten one of the Ten Gatekeepers (A/N: I can't find Chiapa >_ After looking around for a while, an old tent was located and he took a seat. Thankfully, he found some old firewood, and never left home without his lighter, so he could make a fire. The Desert might seem to be hotter than hell in the daytime, but at night, it was probably nearly twenty degrees. That, and the fact that fire kept fiends away. Or so he heard. _

And if he was lucky, she was a lot smarter than a Zu. IF he was lucky. 

But unfortunately, it didn't keep away his visitor. 

"Where...am I?" he heard a voice ask, then took a look outside his tent. Yuna was standing there, shivering and obviously lost. She had apparently followed the fire to him, assuming that fire meant people. Luckily for her, she was right. But it wasn't exactly lucky for him. If Yuna could do it, so could a Zu. 

Or so he had always thought. But in the last day he'd learned that Yuna wasn't half as stupid as she seemed. Just gullible and shy. And her heart was always in the right place, no matter what. Whether what she said was mean or the nicest thing the person had ever heard. Yuna was even one hell of a songwriter. 

"Yuna." Gippal called, and she ran to the tent and entered. 

"Gippal! What are you doing here?" she asked, and he rolled his good eye. 

"Chasing the pink fairies. What about you." he asked, and Yuna looked away. 

"Sorry." she said, and he sighed, then felt a nagging feeling. A feeling he didn't like. A feeling that made him stand up and comfort her. Try, anyway. 

"Yuna, don't cry dammit." he said, then held her. She was still making sniffle noises, but looked up at him. 

"Did you really mean that about me deserving better than Tidus?" she asked, and he nodded. 

"Yeah, you do deserve better than Re-Tardus." he said, and Yuna sighed. 

"Yeah, I do. I've realized that. And I think that you're a lot better than Re-Tardus." she said, then stood up on her tip-toes and kissed him. 

It was the best damn kiss he'd ever had. She tasted like strawberries, and was a good kisser. Apparently she had a lot of...experience. And he doubted it was all with Re-Tardus. After kissing for a while, Gippal began to think about things a bit more...'impure' than a kiss. He tried to get her onto the bed, but she was stronger than she looked and obviously wanted to keep in their current position. And he was so desperate too, desperate to pin her down and do things to her she'd never even thought possible. 

But she didn't want to, apparently. 

Boy was he wrong. 

"Yuna..." he said, his voice hoarse. She looked up at him and smiled, then pulled away from him and ripped her top off as Gippal just stood there and eagerly watched her. After pulling off the rest of her clothing, she laid down, and he had her just where he wanted her. Or so he thought. 

"Excuse me." she said, and he looked at her face, then at other parts of her that were more beautiful than he imagined. 

"Yes?" he asked, and she grinned evilly. 

"I believe you're naked and I'm not." she said, then grabbed him and pulled him down to her. It was all a blur after that. 

((~*~)) 

"...dammit." he said, then looked around at the room. They weren't in Bikanel Desert any longer, and Yuna wasn't wrapped in his arms. She was probably somewhere down spoon-feeding Re-Tardus 'Chicken & Stars'. Moving slightly under the covers, he noticed something. Something that shouldn't have been there. Something nice and...wet. 

"Ah shit. How am I gonna explain this stain to Yuna??" 

¤ ¤((^+~TBC~+^))¤ ¤ 


	4. He's sleeping!

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
Chapter Four  
Something Wrong...

A/N: Thank you reviewers!! And super thanks to Night Beauty, who told me where to find Chiapa (I DID IT! YAY!) But now I can't find Erio, so I'll just leave things be. X_X Thanks again, I LOVE YOU ALL!!! 

_Damnit._

After the episode last night with the sheets, Gippal realized he was going to have to wash his own clothes. At least his own sheets. Because if Yuna or Re-Tardus saw them, then he might as well crawl in a hole. _It's not like Retardus hasn't done it. He'd probably just think it was...ew._

"Gippal? What are you doing?" someone asked from the doorway of the laundry room. The WRONG someone. 

"Uh...Yuna. Hey." he said, and Yuna stepped closer. Gippal hid the offending sheets behind his back. 

"What is that behind your back?" Yuna asked innocently, then clasped her hands in front of her and began to stare at him. 

"Uhh...nothing. I'm just...washing clothes." he said, and Yuna began to laugh. 

"Nice try. Now what is it?" she asked, and he shrugged. 

"Sheets." he said, and Yuna shook her head. 

"Let me see." she said, and he shook his head, then threw them in the washer and started it before she could stop him. He was too quick for her. _But Rikku was always too quick for me..._

Yuna lifted the lid to the washer then, and nodded. "They really ARE sheets." she said, and shook her head. "What's wrong with them?" 

"Nothing...I just have a...er...special fabric stuff I have to use." he said, and Yuna nodded. 

"Ohh. I see." she said, and Gippal nodded. 

"I have a medical condition." he said, and Yuna covered her mouth. 

"I'm so sorry..." she said, then looked away. "I shouldn't have asked." 

Gippal smiled evilly. "It's okay." he said, and put his hand on her shoulder, which startled her. 

"No...I shouldn't have given you a hard time...either way...there's going to be a party of sorts tonight...if you'd like to come, you're invited..." Yuna said, then began to fidget. 

"I'll go if you stop your damn fidgeting." he said, and Yuna looked around, then stood still. 

"Sorry. But...you know _she_ will be there, right?" Yuna asked, and Gippal shrugged. 

"Right now, I don't give a damn. I'll just stand on the wall and blend in. Well, maybe not blend in. But I will stand on the wall." 

"You don't have to do that." she said, and he shrugged. 

"Probably would have anyway." 

"Well...okay then." she said, and sighed. "It'll be here, so be ready around five-thirty if you'll be there." 

"And what if I don't want to go?" he asked, and Yuna began to fidget again. 

"Then I'll have to lock you up here." she said, and Gippal laughed. 

"I think I'll head to the party." he said, and she smiled at him. 

"All right, then. See you." 

"Wait...where are you going? It's nearly noon." he said, and she shrugged. 

"I have to clear things up with the caterer." she said, and Gippal raised an eyebrow. 

"Stop fidgeting." he said, and Yuna desperately attempted to stand still. 

"Well...I'll see you." she said, then left. 

_What's wrong with her?_ Gippal wondered, then leaned up against the washer and wondered what to do for five and a half hours. Maybe he should check in with Paine and Baralai... 

Gippal pulled out his cell-phone, then, pressed a button, and heard an answer on the other line. A guarded "yeah?". 

"Baralai. Hey." Gippal said, and Baralai's voice immediately warmed up. 

"Hello, Gippal. I'm sorry I never called you back...I still don't know how to work this thing." he said, and Gippal laughed. 

"Hasn't Paine showed you?" he asked, and Baralai sighed. 

"She's tried. But I think I get on her nerves when I ask her, so I just keep my mouth shut." he said, and Gippal shook his head. 

"Come on, Buddy. Dr.P'll fix your phone. Tell her I told her to." he said, and Baralai laughed. 

"Tell her yourself. I'll go get her." he said, and Gippal made a 'tisk-tisk' noise. 

"How many times do I have to tell you? Always, always, always know where your woman is." he said, and Baralai laughed. 

"At least I HAVE a woman." he said, and Gippal frowned. 

"Shut my mouth. Either way..." he began. 

"Who is it? Don't tell me it's Rikku again." he said, and Gippal spat on the phone. 

"Hope that somehow slides through to your ear-" he started, but Baralai's yelling cut him off. 

"What? Can it do that?" he asked, and Gippal laughed. 

"No. I just had to get you back." he said, and they both laughed. 

"Here's Paine, okay?" he asked, and Gippal chuckled. 

"Yeah." he said, and then heard Paine's voice on the other end of the phone. 

"What did you say to him? He's rubbing his ear and mumbling something about spit." Paine said with a chuckle, and Gippal laughed. 

"I told him that if I spit on the phone it would hit him. Then I did." he said, and Paine laughed. 

"You two both act like three-year-olds." she said, and Gippal put his clothes in the dryer. 

"What does that say for you? You're marrying one." he said, and she laughed. 

"True. And how's your love-life?" Paine asked, and Gippal sighed. 

"Let's not...er...go there." he said, and Paine laughed. 

"Who should I warn?" she asked, and Gippal made an angry sound in his throat. 

"Someone out of my reach." he said, and Paine chuckled. 

"Whatever happened to 'Nobody's out of my reach!! I am sexy man Gippal'?" Paine asked, and Gippal laughed. 

"As you yourself said, he's in there. Just sleeping. Sleeping until Yu-I mean, someone kicks him in the ass." 

"YUNA!?!?" Paine shouted, and Gippal swore. "I don't believe it." 

"Believe it." he said, and sighed. "I've had it for her for a while..." 

"Ah, that explains the fact you owe thanks to a 'very special lady', huh?" she asked, and he sighed. 

"No...but either way. I'm going to that party tonight-will you be there?" he asked. 

"Yeah. Talk more on this later." she said, and hung up without saying good-bye. Then again, he couldn't complain...he did the same thing. 

Sighing, he began to get ready for the party. 


	5. Gippalooza!

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
Chapter Five  
Gippalooza  
A/N: Here we go again! I'd like to thank Night Beauty, baralai-ec-rud, darkangelb, stardust13, Olympian, and sora7 for reviewing! Thanks soo much!!!! The song "Need You Tonight" that Gippal sings is actually © to INXS, since I'm not creative enough to write my own song, and I like it a lot :D 

Gippalooza 

"Where IS Yuna, anyway?" Paine asked Gippal a few hours later, as they lounged in the kitchen of Yuna's home. Baralai was out talking to Tortus, being too nice to give the idiot the finger (which Gippal would've done a long time ago.) 

"I don't know. She said something about a caterer." Gippal answered, then shrugged. "I wish she'd hurry up, though." 

"Why? So you can stare at her ass all night?" Paine asked, and Gippal laughed. 

"Only half the night." he said, then stood up because Nooj entered the room, surprisingly, without LeBlanc. 

"Hey, Noojie-Woojie." Paine said with a laugh, and Nooj frowned. 

"Aren't you funny. Have you seen her? She was supposed to meet me here...said something about a caterer." he said, and Gippal looked surprised. 

"That's what Yuna said, too. They both are missing, and they both went to the 'caterer', eh?" he said, then looked outside. Two seconds later, he was running out the door. 

"What the-" Paine began, but Gippal was gone before she could finish her sentence. 

"Wait a second..." Nooj began, then sighed. "Isn't that Yuna's boyfriend? With Rikku?" 

Paine looked outside, then realized exactly why Gippal had charged out of the room. Tidus and Rikku were dancing-rather provocatively-and Gippal was headed straight for them. More than likely to kill Tidus where he stood. 

"GIPPAL!" Paine yelled, then ran out the door. Sighing, Nooj reached into the fridge and grabbed himself an beer. 

There are advantages to being 21. 

*Outside*

"Gippal! Wait!" Paine called, and barely caught up with her friend before he hit Tidus in the face. 

"What?!" he yelled, then turned around. 

"You can't just hit him. Or kill him." Paine said, and Gippal crossed his arms. 

"Why the hell not? Look at that!" he yelled, and both Rikku and Tidus looked at him. 

"Looks like somebody's jealous!" Rikku yelled, and Gippal spun around, his face red. 

"Over you? Hell no." he said, then turned back to Paine. Rikku seemed to be hurt. 

"Hey, are you mad or something?" Tidus asked, and Gippal lunged for him, but luckily for both of them, Baralai was smart enough to realize that not only was killing (Retardus) Tidus a bad idea, but Tidus was so stupid he didn't even know Gippal WANTED to kill him. Baralai stopped Gippal from attacking Tidus, then put both hands on his friend's shoulders. 

"Let her handle it. Come on, let's get something to drink." Baralai said, in his quiet yet commanding voice. Paine nodded, and Gippal sighed. After they made it back into the kitchen, Le Blanc and Yuna were already there. 

"There you three are! Noojie-Woojie told me that something happened!" Le Blanc said, and looked around, then her voice lowered to a conspiratory whisper. "What was it?" 

"Nothing big, really. Just Gippal getting...careless again." Baralai said, then looked at Gippal, who was still fuming mad but apparently thinking again. He nodded. 

"Yeah." was all he said, his mind a blur of rotating images. _Yuna, Tidus, Rikku, Yuna and Tidus, Rikku and Tidus, Yuna again..._ Gippal sat down, then, dizzy. He then felt someone handing him a glass of icewater. 

"Here...if this helps." Yuna said, and he took it with a nod in her direction. Yuna sighed. 

"Thanks." Paine said, then shook her head quickly. "Where were you, anyway?" 

"Well...Le Blanc and I had an idea." Yuna said, then looked at Le Blanc. 

"Why just have a party when we can have a karaoke party, loves!" she said, then grinned. "Of course, Noojie-Woojie and I will sing a love song...but, we get to draw straws to find out who picks the songs for everyone else!" 

"Wait...where's Tidus?" Yuna asked, and Gippal's face turned a darker shade of red. 

"Outside." he said, then gulped down some more water. Yuna stepped towards the door, opened it, then turned around and shut it behind her back. Her face turned red as well, but not half as red as Gippal's. 

"Oh..my." she said, and looked at Gippal, who might as well had smoke coming out of his ears. 

"Now you know what happened." he said, and she walked over to him, then sat down. Paine put her hand on her shoulder. 

"Rikku just lost all of her respect points." she said, and gave Yuna a hug. 

"Gippal..." Yuna said, and he looked at her. "Thank you...for standing up for me." she said, and he shrugged. 

"That guy is an ass." he said, then grinned, despite how angry he was. "We can still have a good party without him." 

"Yeah!" Le Blanc yelled, and Nooj nodded. They all walked outside, then, and shot glares at Tidus and Rikku, who were now making out on the couch. 

"I...I...I hate them." Yuna said, and Gippal stopped and stared at her. 

"Don-" he began, then shrugged and put an arm around her shoulders. If he would've had a good shot at either of them, he'd probably have killed them both, but knew he didn't. Finally, the group sat down, and Baralai walked on stage. 

"I will now pull a slip of paper out of this cup, each with the name of one of the guests here tonight. This person will be the one that picks the songs that the others have to sing...let me see..." he said, then dug his hand in the cup and pulled out a piece of paper. "Paine!" he said, and Paine shook her head. 

"...I should've known he'd pick me." she said, and sighed. Then, she stood up and walked over to stand next to Baralai. "And now I get to pick who goes first. Hrm...Gippal." 

"Damn you!" Gippal yelled, but stood up anyway, and stood in the center of the stage as both Baralai and Paine walked back to sit down. On the way, though, Paine dug in the CD case in the corner, then put in a CD with an evil smirk on her face. Then she sat down, and the music began to play. 

Gippal knew that this might be the only chance he got to say this to her (or sing it, for that matter) so he looked Yuna right in the eye as he sang. 

_All you got is this moment  
Twenty-first century's yesterday  
You can care all you want  
Everybody does yeah that's okay  
_

So slide over here  
And give me a moment  
Your moves are so raw  
I've got to let you know  
I've got to let you know  
You're one of my kind  


I need you tonight  
'Cause I'm not sleeping  
There's something about you girl  
That makes me sweat  


How do you feel  
I'm lonely  
What do you think  
Can't take it all  
Whatcha gonna do  
Gonna live my life 

Then he took a bow and stepped off stage as Nooj, Le Blanc, Paine, and Baralai all clapped and cheered. He put the CD back, then, and turned around to see Yuna's reaction. 

She was gone. 


	6. Anything for Love?

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
Chapter Six  
Anything for love?

A/N: Again, thanks to the reviewers. If it wasn't for you guys, I'd probably have given this up! heh. Thanks again, to all of you. And, if there would've been a FFX-2 section when I originally wrote this, I would've put it there. Unless fics start getting deleted, then, well, I'm going to leave this one here, but I will post my next X-2 fic there. Promise. 

"You just missed her." Baralai said, realizing who Gippal was looking for immediately. "That way." 

After Baralai pointed, Gippal was up and moving, looking for her. A normal guy would've definently considered that a rejection, but he wasn't exactly a normal guy. Not to mention, stubborn as a jackass. And unless Yuna looked him in the eye and told him off, he was still probably going to follow her around like a lost puppy. 

_Damn._

Meanwhile, it was Paine's turn to pick who sang next, and it was her turn to get revenge on Baralai by making him sing AC/DC's "Big Balls", to which everyone in the room fought to hold down snickers, and some failed. Something about Baralai singing about balls...that was an interesting sight. And he was too nice to tell her "HELL NO!". 

Gippal went outside, then, and saw Yuna standing alone about five feet from the house, right in the middle of the street. He ran to her, then, and pulled her onto the sidewalk. She was looking at him like he was an idiot. "I don't want you to get hit by something." he said, and she smiled at him. 

"That's so sweet of you." she said, then sighed. "This is...akward." 

"Nah." he said, and she looked away. 

"Is anything akward to you?" she asked, and he shook his head. "So you really ARE an over-confident man that could give stubborn lessons to a donkey." 

"Yeah, I am. And the word 'donkey' doesn't suit you, Yuna." she said, and Yuna frowned. 

"Neither do you." she said, and walked past him to go back inside. 

"That's a rejection, isn't it." he said, and she stopped, then turned around. 

"Yes." 

Gippal walked over to her. "You said it, not me." 

"What?" Yuna asked, and Gippal grinned. Then he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. 

"I could give stubborn lessons to a 'donkey'. And I'm stubborn over you." he mumbled, then leaned in and kissed her again. Yuna might've argued with him if she would've had a second or two between kisses. He probably realized that-and made sure he didn't. A few minutes later, he finally pulled away. 

"You're crazy." she said, and he shrugged. 

"You know it." he joked, and she frowned. "And damn sexy too." 

"I never said that." she said, and he grinned, then leaned in to kiss her again. "You didn't have to." 

After another few seconds, Gippal pulled away, and Yuna rested her head on his chest. "Darnit." 

"Damnit." he corrected her, and she jokingly glared at him. "Anyway, there's something I'd like to ask you." 

"What is it?" she asked, and he smiled. 

"Why in the hell were you fidgeting?" 

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that." she said, and frowned. 

"I knew it. I'm too sexy for you to handle." he said, and she playfully hit him. 

"Nuh uh. Well...kind of. I had this dream...about the desert..." she said, and he stared at her. 

"Bikanel? And getting rather cuddly in the tent?" he asked, and Yuna's eyes got huge. 

"You...had that dream too?" she asked, and he nodded. "Weird." 

"You could say that. But I rather enjoyed myself." he said, and she smiled at him. 

"Are we ever going back in?" 

"Yeah, if you want to. You missed Baralai sing 'Big Balls' though..." he said, and Yuna began to laugh. 

"Paine really made him sing that?!" she asked, and he nodded. 

"Don't piss of Dr. P." he said, and Yuna poked him. "What was that for?" 

"The day I met you at Djose Temple...why did you two act like you hadn't ever met?" she asked, and he began to walk back towards the house. 

"When I saw her, I wasn't quite sure what to say. Then she introduced herself, and I picked up what she was doing. If you want to know the answer to that one, you have to ask her." 

"Mmm. I see." she said, then reached to open the door, but he got it for her. "Thank you." she said, and he shrugged. 

"No big." he said, then wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked in, then sat down. 

"Yuna, I warn you. He snores. Loudly." Paine said, and almost everyone at the table laughed. 

"Can't be as bad as you, Dr.P." Gippal teased back, and Paine turned red. 

"She's not THAT bad." Baralai said, then realized everyone was staring at him. 

"Baralai! You dirty man!" Gippal joked, and Baralai turned red. 

"That wasn't what I meant..." he began, but Gippal waved it off. 

"Well, I know you snore." Paine said, then laughed. "Nooj actually had to leave the tent a couple of times because he couldn't sleep due to your damn snoring." 

"You made Noojie-Woojie leave?" Le Blanc asked, then hit Gippal with her fan. Baralai began to laugh, so he got hit as well. 

"Le Blanc, is that really neccessary?" Nooj asked, Budweiser in hand. 

"If you say it's not..then it's not." she said, and Gippal whispered something to Yuna. 

"Talk about obsessed..." 

Yuna grinned, then, and leaned on him. Paine was smiling. 

"Who's my next victim?" she asked. 

"Nooj. He's drunk." Gippal said, and Paine shook her head. 

"Yuna." she said, and Yuna turned red. 

"Do I really have to?" she asked, and Paine nodded. "But what about Yunapalooza?" 

"But I didn't see Yunapalooza." Gippal said, and Yuna looked at him, then stuck her tongue out. 

"Oh...poopie." she said, and Paine pointed to the stage. Yuna stood up, then, and stood in the middle of the stage. 

"All right, guys, what should we make Yuna sing?" Paine asked, then glared at Gippal as he put his boots on the table. Wisely, he immediately took them off the table and put his feet back on the floor. 

"Not that awful song you made me sing." Baralai said, and Paine began to crack up. 

"Why would I make Yuna sing a song about balls? It's not half as funny as when you do it, clearing your throat every other time you say balls." she said, and Baralai blushed, then smiled. 

"You've got me there." he joked, then noticed a change in Gippal's face and posture, from "not doing bad here" to "die, you bloody bastard." Wondering, Baralai turned around, and realized that Tidus and Rikku were walking over to them. 

"Hey guys!" Rikku called out cheerfully, but nobody responded. "Oh, don't tell me you're mad about Tidus. He told me that Yunie dumped him. And after what I saw tonight, now I really really believe it!" 

"Yuna didn't dump him." Paine corrected, but Rikku shook her head. 

"She did too! She dumped him for Gippal!" she said, and began to giggle. 

"No, she didn't. And either way, Rikku, that's your cousin, remember?" Paine asked, and Rikku put her finger to her chin, which meant she was thinking. A rare sight. 

"Well, I knew him first! So she was technically stealing him from ME!" Rikku yelled, and then Tidus walked over. 

"What's up guys?" Tidus asked, and Gippal crossed his arms. 

"Are you so stupid that you can't figure out we don't-at least I don't-like you?" Gippal asked, and Tidus crossed his arms. 

"Jackass." he said, and Gippal got up to hit him, but someone beat him to it. 

Baralai. And he hit him HARD. 

"I can only take so much. And if Gippal hit you, then, I don't think he could stop. Personally, I feel much better." he said, then looked just in time to see Yuna come up and slap Tidus, even though he was on the ground. Gippal put an arm around her, then, and they both sat down. 

"Come to think of it, Yuna, you don't have to sing. Baralai, sit down." Paine said, and he did. "Maybe you do have the biggest balls of 'em all." 

Baralai blushed. "Well, as you've said, you can't be that nice to be Praetor." 


	7. Oops! I did it again!

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
Chapter Six  
Oops! I did it again! 

A/N: I LOVE YOU PEOPLE :D You're the only reason I update so much :D I'm glad you like the ficcy!! The song "Anything for Love" by Meat Loaf isn't mine, it's theirs :D And the lyrics are in italics :D 

It had been a few hours since Baralai knocked out Tidus, and since then almost everyone had calmed down. Everyone but Yuna, who was still either in shock or angry, but either way, she still had every right to be either. A few minutes after Baralai socked Tidus, Rikku had came over and just sat down with them, and nobody felt like trying to get her to leave. She seemed to be enjoying herself anyway, playing with the table napkins, then laughing at the occasional joke. But for the most part, the table was quiet. 

"Sooo..." Le Blanc said, then looked around and sighed. "Don't Noojie-Woojie and I get to sing?" 

"Well...do you really want to?" Baralai asked, and Nooj shook his head. But Le Blanc was more than happy to, and was literally jumping up and down at the opportunity. Then, she realized that it wasn't exactly flattering to do so, and stopped, looking at Nooj pleadingly. 

"Damn. Watch my beer." he said, and took Le Blanc's hand as they went up to sing a song. Paine picked some lovey-dovey song to shut her up. They were busy singing, then, when Gippal reached for Nooj's beer. 

"Hey! You're underage!" Baralai yelled, and Gippal shrugged, then chugged the last of it. 

"We both got smashed in the Crimson Squad, a couple of years ago." he said, and Baralai was still frowning. 

"That was before I was Praetor. Now, Gippal. Give me Nooj's beer." he said, and Gippal shook his head, then turned to Yuna with a fiendish grin on his face. 

"Don't tell me you want ME to drink that?" she asked, and he shook his head. 

"Nahh, I drank the last of this one. I want you to go get another one and drink it." he said with a chuckle, and Yuna playfully hit him. 

"I don't think so." she said, and he shrugged. 

"At least go get one for Nooj. This one's gone." 

"You drank it." Yuna said, then smiled innocently at him. Swearing, Gippal climbed over them all, and stumbled into the kitchen, where he got Nooj another beer. 

"Hehe...you're the first girl I've seen him stand up for in a while." Paine said, and Yuna laughed. 

"It's the innocent look. Gets 'em every time." she said, then formed a fake pistol with her hand. 

"Here he comes." Baralai said, and at that moment, Gippal was back, putting a near-full can of beer on the table, then sitting down next to Yuna and putting an arm around her. Tidus was coming-to, though, and sat up. 

"Look who's up? Hey Re-Tardus, did you have a nice nap?" Gippal asked, and Tidus frowned. 

"You're not funny." he said, and Gippal laughed. 

"On the contrary, my...not so friend." Baralai said, and Tidus frowned, then looked at Rikku. 

"See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!" she shouted, and he frowned. 

"You too?" he asked, and she nodded. 

"Maybe you should've just...left him wherever he was." Paine said, and Tidus frowned, then started to turn red. 

"Don't tell me he's going to cry..." Gippal said with a snicker, then Tidus made a sniffling noise. 

"You guys...are cruel." Yuna said, then sighed and stood up. "Whether I like him or not, it's still not right to make him cry!" 

Baralai seemed to agree with her, considering they both stood up and escorted Tidus to the door, sniffling all the way. Both Gippal and Paine were fighting to hold their laughter, and Rikku wasn't even bothering to try. Finally, Baralai and Yuna came back, and Yuna was pissed as hell. And so be it, her anger was directed right at Gippal. 

"I thought you were more mature than that." she snapped, and he crossed his arms. 

"Obviously, you don't know me very well." he said, careful to keep his voice monotonal in an attempt to keep himself under control. 

"Obviously not, considering that I decided to go out with you. Even if it only was for three hours." she snapped, then turned on her heel and left. Gippal stood up to follow her, but Paine shook her head. 

"Give her a minute. She needs some time alone." she said, and Gippal nodded, then sat down. "And you need some time to figure out what to say to her." 

"Yeah..." he said, then stood up. "I can't take it anymore." 

The wind had developed one heck of a chill to it, and it seemed to be even worse to Gippal because he'd been inside for so long. Yuna must be freezing, then, due to her wardrobe-or lack thereof. He started to look for her immediately, unable to find her for what felt like over ten minutes. When he finally did spot her, she was standing alone, shivering, looking out at the water from Kilika port. She must have sensed him walking up behind her (either that, or she heard his boots) because she began to speak. 

"This was where I did my first sending." she said, and sighed. "I wonder...I wonder if I've still got it in me." 

"You want to know what I think?" he asked, and she nodded, then turned to face him, her cheeks wet with tears. "I think you can do anything if you put your mind to it." 

"You...mean it?" she asked, then wiped her cheek absently with the back of her hand. 

"Yes." he said, then walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "Yes." 

"Should...should I try?" she asked, and he smiled. 

"The practical side of me says no, considering if you can't do it, you'll be soaked, and I don't want that to happen, considering in that outfit you'll get sick as a dog." he said, and kissed her cheekbone. "But the unpractical side of me wants to see." 

"I...I think I'll give it a try." she said, and he nodded. Then she pulled out her staff and stepped onto the water. It held her weight. Cautiously, she looked back at Gippal, who was standing on one foot and eagerly watching her. 

_Will you raise me up?  
Will you help me down?  
Will you help get me right out of this Godforsaken town?  
Will you make it all a little less cold?_

Yuna began to spin her staff, then, and began to dance in circles, as the water began to surround her, lifting her, making her glow. Gippal smiled, then, and wished he could be there with her, although he would just get in the way. Just watching was enough, at least for now. But she either read his mind or noticed something, considering the water came down, and she reached out her hand. 

_Will you hold me sacred,  
Will you hold me tight?  
Will you colorize my life,  
I'm so sick of black and white!  
Can you make it all a little less old?_

More than slightly afraid, then, Gippal reached for her hand and took it, stepping out onto the water expecting to fall right in. But he didn't. 

"Yuna..." he said, and she smiled. 

"...maybe someday she'll stop dancing." she mumbled, then allowed him to pull her close. 

"How do you do this?" he asked, amazed. She smiled at him. 

"My little secret." 

_Will you make me some magic with your own two hands?  
Can you build an Emerald city with these grains of sand?  
Can you give me something I can take home? _

"Come on..." he teased, and she smiled, then began to twirl her staff again, willing the water to come up around them in spouts. Laughing, Gippal put his hand on her face. 

"Yuna..." he said, then kissed her. "No matter how romantic this is, it's still damn cold outside." 

Yuna grinned. "Aw, come on. Don't tell me you can't take a little cold." 

"I can. I'm worried about you. Plus, I'm a desert dweller, remember?" he asked, and she grinned. 

"Tidus and I made out at Macalania. In the water." she teased, and he sighed. 

"You win." 

_Will you cater to every fantasy I've got?  
Will you hose me down with holy water if I get too hot?  
Will you take me to places I'll never know? _

Suddenly, for some reason, Yuna lost her grip on her staff and they both fell into the water. Thankfully, they both knew how to swim. 

"Ah, I see. The staff!" he joked, and she smiled at him. 

"Nope." she poked his nose, then shivered. 

"Hate to say I told you so." he said, and she grinned at him. 

"No you don't. You love every minute of it." 

"Guilty as charged." he joked, then wrapped his arms around her and held her to him. 

"Let's...get out of the water." she said, and he sighed. 

"All right. But I'm gonna up one on Re-Tardus when it's not so cold." he joked, and she playfully hit him. His laughter faded, then, after he realized her lips were turning blue. They swam out of the water, then, and stood on the still new wooden boardwork in Kilika, as he wrapped his arms around her and began to lead her back to her house, where he'd probably wrap her in blankets and worry. 

Damnit. 

_ Anything for love,  
Oh I would do anything for love!  
I would do anything for love!  
But I won't do that!  
No I won't do that...  
_


	8. And the hero will drown

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
  
Chapter EIGHT!  
  
...and the hero will drown.  
  
A/N: My apologies for the lack of updateness..it's just that, well, my schedule's been more or less packed with doing such things as looking for an image hosting service (sonofabitch, Fortunecity's doing the usual free site bullshit) working on an original fic, and doing all my schoolwork! Plus, I have a message board (Gothic Romance), and I'm an active member @ Legend of Fantasy, so I have more than enough to do...and not even CLOSE to enough time to do it in! So, for now, I hope my sincere apology is enough! X_X  
  
*~Chapter Eight~*  
  
Yuna woke up wrapped up in a warm blanket, warm, and feeling suprisingly relaxed. She stood up, looked around, and then reached for her fuzzy slippers. Putting them on her cold feet, she noticed a strange mark above her ankle, then, and touched it lightly. Hot pain shot through her entire body, then, and she felt as if she'd pass out. Crying out, she nearly fell to the ground, but managed to steady herself on her bedpost. Gippal burst through the doorway, then, and saw her barely standing.  
  
"What is it?" he asked,and she sat down, then pointed down at her ankle. Kneeling, he tilted her foot, then sighed. "How long has this been here?"   
  
"I don't know...is it bad?" she asked, and Gippal sighed.  
  
"It's sure isn't good. Yuna, this is very serious. I need you to tell me...what did you dream about?" he asked, and Yuna raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I..don't remember. Something about a fiend, though..." she murmured, and he hugged her.  
  
"We need to go. Now." he said, and Yuna nodded, then, and prepared herself to stand again. Shaking his head, he picked her up and carried her instead.   
  
"Where are we going?" she asked, and he frowned.  
  
"To Bevelle. Baralai'll know what this is...if I'm right." he said, and she frowned this time.  
  
"What do you think it is?" she asked, but he shook his head.  
  
"I don't want to worry you." he said, then, still holding her, loaded them both into a hover and took off, headed for Bevelle.  
  
~*~  
  
"It's the mark of a prophet." Baralai said, then, and sighed. "You were right, Gippal."  
  
"What's that?" Paine and Yuna both asked, and Baralai frowned.  
  
"Well...I'll try to explain this the best I can. There are certain...powers out there, available only to certain...carriers. Apparently, Yuna's a carrier for the power of precognition...so it was given to her, considering she's the former High Summoner, and nobody'd be better suited to have the power in their eyes." he said, and Paine shook her head.  
  
"They?" she asked, and he frowned.   
  
"No one's quite sure, all we know is that they distribute the powers, which are considered by all but the bearer to be a gift. Seeing the future, though, is one of the better ones to have, considering you can't see your own future, something few would want to see. But, you unfortunately have no control over your power...your power could activate itself at any time, and after it does, just touching someone could trigger a 'vision', and tell you something that's going to happen to that person in the future. It could be in one or 100 years, there's usually no indication of which. And usually, it's a bad thing." he said, then sighed and crossed his arms. "A few seers have...lost their mind due to a particularly painful vision."   
  
"Are you telling me that Yuna's in danger?" Paine asked, and Yuna crossed her arms.  
  
"I think so. And I think I don't want this power." she said, and Gippal entered the conversation, then, after an uncharicteristic silence.  
  
"You're in more danger than you know, Yuna. People are going to want that power...want it bad enough to kill you, which is the only known way for a 'gifted one' to lose it." Gippal shook his head.  
  
"That's...very not good." Yuna said, then sniffled.   
  
"Yuna?" Paine asked, and Yuna stood up, then, her anger apparently outweighing the pain from her ankle.  
  
"Haven't I done enough? First Sin, then Vegnagun, now some kind of psychic power everyone's going to want to kill me for? I don't think so! I've had more than enough of this! Can't I just stay OUT OF IT for ONCE?" she shouted, then, and after her anger began to leave her, the throbbing protest coming from above her ankle took hold and she almost fell to the ground. Baralai caught her, though, and sat her back down.   
  
"Yuna..." Gippal said, then stood up and wrapped an arm around her. "If there's anything I can do to he-" he began, but Baralai cut him off.  
  
"All we can do to help her is to watch her, guard her. I'm sure that if we can get ahold of Nooj, he'd be more than willing to help out as well. Plus, it might be a few years before her power becomes truly active, and during those years, we can prepare for the rest of her life." he said, and Paine frowned.  
  
"So what are you telling me, that we're her Guardians?" she asked, and Baralai nodded.  
  
"Unless anyone here objects." he said, then, but nobody spoke up.  
  
"Rikku'd be willing to help out too." Yuna said, and sighed. "I'll have to talk to her." she said, then sighed.   
  
"So be it." Baralai mumbled, then left the room.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Yuna asked, and realized Paine was silent. "Paine?"  
  
"You...don't want to know." she said, then followed Baralai out the room. Yuna looked at Gippal.  
  
"I don't know!?!" he exclaimed, then threw his arms up with a frown. "All I know is that I want to get you out of here, take you home, and maybe get disgustingly huggy and cuddly and lovey-dovey." he teased, and she smiled at him, then wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her out. 


	9. Baralai

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Baralai  
  
A/N: This one goes out special to Orinoco, who has been on me to update forever, AND made me a kickass image for Hyperion Angel. Go there. It's an order. Either way, thanks to all my reviewers, you all rock! And you all put up with my lack of updateness...  
  
~&~  
  
Baralai hadn't been quite thinking clearly when he stormed out of the room. He had just known that he had been lied to-and being lied to was intolerable. At least it was to him. And it was his problem.  
  
Three years ago, he had been told that he had a power, and it was a power that nobody else could ever have. A power he had to give up part of himself to become, a power that would consume him if he wasn't careful with things. A power he hadn't wanted, but had been given. A supposed blessing. But all the power of premonition had done to him was make him more miserable. He had no control over what he saw, no control over the pain and sorrow that was being felt by the people that flashed through his mind. Nothing could soothe him after one of his "visions", not sleep, not Paine...nothing. And in exchange for taking the deal with the old man, nobody else would have this power. It was his and his alone, unable to be passed on to anyone. He'd be the only one that felt the pain, the hurt, and the devastating feeling of sadness and helplesness he felt watching people he didn't even know suffer.   
  
Now, somehow, even after he had taken the deal, Yuna had been passed the power. Before Baralai accepted the bargain, the power was passed to those who had the most potential of doing good in the world, and it made sense for Yuna to get the power. And it had made sense for it to be passed to Baralai as well. But, the old man had made him a promise that if he became half-demon, then the power would no longer be passed on.  
  
The old bastard had lied to him. And he was going to pay.  
  
"Baralai." Paine called from the doorway, then, rare concern evident in her hard voice. He turned to her, then, and sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry...about storming out like that. It wasn't right, not right at all." he said, and she walked over to him.   
  
"Did you have a..." she began, but stopped as he shook his head. "Then why did you storm out on Yuna, Gippal and I like that? Something has to be wrong."  
  
"Something is wrong, Paine. Something is very wrong. I need to go into the Labyrinth." he said, and Paine frowned.  
  
"You seriously want to go inside of the Bevelle Tower? Baralai, I don't want you to end up like Trema, overwhelmed by power." she said, and Baralai shook his head.  
  
"Trema might be my only key to understanding this. He and I have the same problem, in a way." he said, and Paine stood up and followed him to the door. "Please, I need to do this on my own."   
  
"I'll leave you be if you tell me what's going on. Baralai, it's not like you to keep secrets like this from me, from your friends." she protested, and he sighed, then crossed his arms.  
  
"That night...when I met with that old man in the old Chamber of the Fayth." he said, then looked away from her. "I accepted a bargain he offered me. A bargain that has apparently been forgotten, considering the fact that the power of premonition has been passed on. And I'm still dealing with what he did to me. And, as far as I know, he did the same thing to Trema, over something different though. And I need to learn something, something different than I ever though I'd need to learn from him."   
  
"All right." Paine said, then, and stood and watched Baralai smile at her, nod, and walk out the door. She then counted to one-hundred, and ran after him.   
  
*!*  
  
The Gullwings had done an excellent job cleaning up the fiends in the lower levels of the tower, so Baralai didn't have much of a problem there. It was the upper levels, and more specificcally, the Mega Tonberries that gave him a hard time. Usually he just ran away from them. Trema had to know that Baralai had no intention of fighting him, at least not now. Not until something was done about Yuna's power.  
  
Entering the final cloister, he saw the man stand alone in darkness, then turn to face the much younger Baralai, and frown.  
  
"Why have you come?" he asked, and Baralai put his weapon on the ground.  
  
"I've came...for your help." he said, and Trema laughed. It was a brittle sound, on the edge of cracking.   
  
"Why should I help you?" he asked, and Baralai frowned.  
  
"Because I'm like you, Trema. I'm half-demon now. I was told by Anthrona that the power of premonition would no longer be passed on if I accepted his deal. And for three years, everything went fine, until my friend Yuna got the power." he said, and Trema laughed again.  
  
"He doesn't have the power to decide who is cursed with the 'gift'. He is a liar. And that is all I am going to tell you. Leave me." he snapped, and Baralai flinched slightly at the harshness of his voice. It was terrifying to be this close to an emotionally unstable man easily capapble of killing him.  
  
"You really want me to leave? Too bad." Gippal's voice said, then, and he pointed his gun at Trema. "I want some answers. Now."  
  
"I don't have to." Trema protested like a child, and Gippal shot at him.  
  
"I think you do. Yuna's in trouble. She's shaking, thrashing back and forth, sweating, and has one hell of a fever. Now I want to know what's wrong with her." he snapped, then prepared to shoot Trema again.  
  
"Don't get careless again. Killing him won't solve our problem." Baralai told Gippal, frowning and picking up his staff. "But I know something that might.''  
  
~TBC~  
  
A/N: I've never actually fought Trema, so his character's personality's all made up...don't yell at me! ^_^ 


	10. Welcoming

Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
  
Chapter Ten: Welcoming  
  
A/N: AHHH!! I DID IT AGAIN!!! I'm so sorry about not updating for so long, I am such an idiot...I just ran totally out of ideas...plus, my computer was screwed up forever-and-a-half, ahh, enough with the excuses!! Thanks for all the reviews! I'm going to probably have to add another disclaimer at the end of this chapter, but adding one now would ruin the surprise! ^_^  
  
Chapter Ten::Welcoming::  
  
Baralai was glaring at Trema, then rattled his left pocket. A clink of glass was heard, and Trema's eyes widened.   
  
"You want my help?" Trema screamed, then he streched his hands up, mumbled something wordless, and a flash of light appeared that was so bright both Gippal and Baralai covered their eyes.  
  
"..what the?" an unfamiliar voice asked, and Gippal uncovered his eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked, and the man, who seemed to be around 5'10'', brown hair, gray eyes, and dressed in primarily black stood up.  
  
"Squall Leonhart, SeeD commander. And you are...?" he asked, and Baralai looked confused.  
  
"What's SeeD?" he asked, and Squall raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Where...am I?" he asked, and looked around.  
  
"Welcome to Spira, buddy." Gippal said, and it was Squall's turn to look bewildered.  
  
"Looks like we're not..from the same area." he said, and Gippal nodded. "Trema, what's going on?"  
  
"This man is the only one that can help you find the man who can heal Yuna. Now go, go, before it is too late. And Baralai, after the former High Summoner has healed...please return here, and keep your end of the bargain..." Trema said, and Baralai nodded.  
  
"When she is healed, I shall return here." Baralai said, and began to leave, Gippal and Squall following him. After they were out of Trema's earshot, Gippal turned to Baralai.   
  
"What's this 'deal'?" he asked, and Baralai frowned.  
  
"I can't tell you....he made me keep quiet..." he said, and Gippal frowned.  
  
"HOW!?" Gippal shouted, his considerable temper getting out of control, "You two didn't say a word!"   
  
"Yes, we did. Now, please, take Squall to the surface, all right?" Baralai asked, and Gippal was clearly pissed as hell. He didn't like it when anyone kept a secret from him, but somewhere in his head, he knew that it was for the best. Sighing, and uncrossing his arms, he beckoned for the still bewildered man to follow him to a surface point. Squall was obviously getting pissed off, being led around like a donkey, but this guy seemed to have a monsterous amount of self-control. The two of them left, then, leaving Baralai to his thoughts. Or so he thought.  
  
"Baralai, what the hell?" Paine asked, coming out from the shadows. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to ask Trema for help?"   
  
"Because I knew you'd be angry." he said, and Paine walked up to him, and looked him in the eyes.   
  
"So you kept it from me? What is it with you Yevonites and your secrets?" she asked, then looked away and shook her head.  
  
"He's going to save Yuna." Baralai said, and Paine frowned.  
  
"How do you know? Do you really think you can trust him?" she asked, and he shook his head.  
  
"No, but I do have something he wants badly. And that's enough to keep him on our side for long enough to help her."   
  
"And what might this be?" Paine asked, and Baralai pulled out a clear bottle with white, whispery looking things floating inside of it.  
  
"His soul."   
  
~*~  
  
"How is she?" Gippal asked, running to where Rikku was dabbing Yuna's forehead with a cold cloth.   
  
"Unconcious." Rikku said, then frowned. "This is disasteriffic."   
  
"I know." he said, then put his hand on Rikku's shoulder. "But we can fix it."   
  
"I sure hope so." she said, then smiled. Gippal had always been like a brother to her, ever since the first grade when a bully was picking on her and Gippal jumped to her defense. Since they were both 15, they had began a on-again, off-again pattern of dating, up until she was 17, when Gippal met Yuna. They accepted then that they were friends-and nothing more. No teary goodbyes, no violent screaming, just a mutual agreement. And things were working great.  
  
"Well, this is the help we got..." he said, and pointed to Squall. If the three of them would've been in a cartoon, Rikku would probably have little pink hearts above her head. And Squall's eyes probably would've turned into little dots.   
  
"I'm Squall Leonhart..." he began, but Rikku was already shaking his hand and grinning at him, as akward with guys and as cheesy as she always was.  
  
"I'm Rikku! Pleased to meet ya Squall!" she shouted, then Yuna made a sound, and the mood became somber again, as the three of them walked over to where Yuna was laying down on the couch. Gippal took her hand and held it, and she opened her eyes and smiled at him.   
  
"I feel...a little bit better." she said, and Gippal brushed some of the hair out of her face.  
  
"That's good to hear. Don't worry, Doctor Baralai's got his special treatment coming up 'specially for you!" he joked, and Yuna chuckled softly, then looked at Squall.  
  
"Rikku, who's that?" she asked, considering Rikku was hanging onto Squall's arm like a shipwreck victim.  
  
"This is Squall." she said, and grinned. "I think he came here to help you!" she said, and Yuna nodded, then Baralai and Paine appeared.  
  
"All right, guys, time to get down to business."  
  
~TBC~  
  
Haha, betcha nobody was expecting Squall to show up! Or for this fic to turn into a Squikku! Heh. Squall is © to Square too! ^__^ Reviews are always appreciated! ^_^ 


	11. Let's Get it Started

**Sparkle in the Silence of the Night  
Chapter Eleven: Let's Get it Started  
**   
A/N: You know, I think I actually like posting at my site better. Many reasons. Meh. Either way, as I already said, I don't own any of the characters in this fic, Square-Enix does!! And, though I'm not a Rikku fan, I'm going to try to keep the bashing down to a minimum for those who are. I'm a good kid, damnit! lol.  
  
"How am I supposed to help you?" Squall Leonhart asked Gippal, who had just explained their current situation with a little help from Rikku, who piped up and threw something in every now and then.   
  
"Honestly, man, I'm not sure yet. I wish I knew, then I'd help you, and we'd get Yuna better. Damn Baralai is still down there, and it's been hours!" Gippal shouted, then took a huge drink of his soda. "DAMNIT!!!"   
  
"Calm down, Yunie has a headache!" Rikku whispered, and Yuna shook her head.  
  
"It's not...bad anymore." she told them, and Squall still looked confused.  
  
"Are you a sorceress?" he asked Yuna, and she shook her head.  
  
"I'm a former High Summoner, if that's any help to you."  
  
"I can't say it is. I know nothing about your world, yet I am supposed to help you?" Squall asked, and Rikku stood up.   
  
"Maybe that's why you're here. Maybe somebody who knew about our world would miss whatever we need to save Yunie." she suggested, and Gippal crossed his arms.  
  
"Maybe. I hate thinking." he grumbled, and Yuna laughed quietly at him.  
  
"Get used to it." she teased, and he glared at her, then looked back at Squall.   
  
"I still don't get it, though. I'm as clueless as this guy is to why he's here."   
  
"Maybe I can help?" Baralai offered, then entered the room. Paine followed him, her face a mixture of confusion and anger.   
  
"Hopefully. I have no idea what to do to save your friend, and make it back to my world." Squall stated, then looked at the others. "And I do want to go home as soon as possible."   
  
"Dammit." Rikku grumbled so quietly so only Yuna could hear. "How come every time I fall for a guy he has to go to a different world?"   
  
Yuna bust out laughing, and attracted the gaze of everyone else in the room. She shrugged, then looked at Rikku and winked. "I'm just losing my mind."  
  
"That's not very funny, Yuna." Gippal told her, then got up and sat by her on the couch. Rikku scrambled for the chair next to Squall, and started to stare at him.   
  
"All right, here's my plan." Baralai called out, and sat in the seat Gippal left. "Gippal, I want you to stay back with Yuna. You're too impulsive."   
  
"WHAT?!" he growled, then mentally considered strangling his best friend. _Not until he makes his plan public, at least..._   
  
"You know it yourself, Gippal. You're too much of a risk. You get 'careless' from time to time. This is Yuna's life we're talking about, and I will not allow you to get careless with it!" Baralai shouted, and Gippal frowned and leaned back. It took everything he took to stay moderately calm-Baralai's words struck more than a nerve.   
  
Yuna reached for Gippal, then, and placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to relax him a little bit. She'd seen her boyfriend get 'careless' herself, and it had nearly gotten him killed. Either way, she'd rather have him there than brooding with her. Broody was never a good mood for Gippal, considering he had an overall light, sarcastic personality. "It's all right." she told him, and he looked at her with his good eye, then nodded and put his arm around her.  
  
"If you say so, then I guess it is." he told her, then gave Baralai the nastiest look he could. "As you were saying, King Asshole?"  
  
"Well, we're heading to Macalania Woods. Trema gave me this item list, and told me that we'd find them all there. When we reach the forest, we'll split up into two groups. After everything's found, Squall will say this 'magic incantation', Rikku will mix the potion-" Baralai was nearly finishde when Squall cut him off.  
  
"Hey, I don't do _magical incantations_." he told them, and Baralai shrugged.  
  
"If you don't read it, you'll never get home if it's the last thing I do." he told Squall, who appeared to have a sudden change of heart. "Back to what I was saying earlier, Rikku will mix the potion and we will bring it back to Yuna. This will be a dangerous trip, so I recommend bringing your best weapons and being ready to go in about fifteen minutes."   
  
Squall looked pissed. "Do you have Gunblades here?"   
  
"What the hell is a gunblade?" Gippal asked, and Squall put his hand on his forehead.  
  
"Obviously not. Does anyone have a sword I can borrow?" he asked, and Rikku nodded, then ran off into another of the rooms, and came back with a huge sword.  
  
"It's a friend of mine's. I usually use it when I equip 'Dark Knight', but I guess I can spare it for a while!" she called, then handed Squall the Masamune. Yuna looked a little surprised, and Paine was obviously still trying to get a good read on Squall.   
  
"Thank you. I think." he said, then stood up. "I'm going outside to try it out. Come get me when you're ready to go."   
  
"I'll go with you! Since I did give you the sword and all..." Rikku told him, and Gippal laughed.  
  
"Shameless." he teased, and she turned around and stuck her tongue out, then followed Squall out the door.   
  
"She really likes him, doesn't she?" Yuna asked, and Gippal shrugged, then nodded.  
  
"I'd say." he told her, then leaned back. "You guys had better get going."  
  
Baralai nodded, and Paine just walked out the door. Gathering a few extra potions in-case, he followed her leaving Gippal and Yuna alone.  
  
"What's bothering you so badly?" Yuna asked, and Gippal looked at her, then frowned and sat straight up.  
  
"Do you agree with what Baralai said?" he asked her, and she looked confused. "About me being so impulsive I was a danger to your life."   
  
Yuna hesitated a long while, then looked at him. Gippal looked hurt, and Yuna couldn't stand it. "No. It's not that you're a danger to my life, anyway-just to this 'mission'. And I actually think you'd do more good than harm if you went along. But Baralai had final say, and I think he really cut you with his words."   
  
"You know a guy for a few years, he figures out where your buttons are, then knows just where to push if he wants you to shut up and let him be the hero." Gippal grumbled, then wrapped his arm around her and drew her close. "Either way, it's just you and me in this big, empty house...what do you want to do?"  
  
"Honestly? Sleep. I've been so tired..." Yuna told him, then fell asleep.  
  
"You know, that had nothing to do with what I was gonna offer." 


	12. Be Gentle all the Time

**Sparkle in the Silence of the Night**

Squall Leonheart was having the worst day of his life. 

It was bad enough that he was sucked into some sort of alternate reality, but the universe just _had_ to hate him. If it didn't, he'd at least be able to get back in peace. But things just weren't working out like that (they never seemed to) and he was stuck working on some kind of mission that he had no idea how to complete.

The tall, silver-haired man wasn't too bad. He was quiet, and when he spoke it was to share something useful. Even if it was just the two of them, Squall felt like he could get the job done. Matter of fact, they were already halfway there, regardless of whether or not Squall felt like it was going to drag on for hours. 

Maybe that feeling had something to do with their _other_ companion.

"Why is this necessary?" Squall asked, looking back at the perky blonde girl who had decided that in order for him to keep the sword, she had to stay close to him.

"I need to protect it. I mean, it is mine, you know?" Rikku asked, then grinned seductively. "Unless you really wanna keep it..." 

"Rikku, stop fantasizing about Squall's _sword_," Baralai ordered, and Squall felt himself blushing despite himself. 

_Okay, forget it. I could do without him, too._ Squall thought irritably. "How about we just get this done so I can go home?"

Rikku was glaring daggers at Baralai. "How about we just kick Baralai's ass?"

"Because Baralai knows what he's doing," Baralai grumbled, looking ahead. "I think we're here."

"Apparently, Baralai _thinks_ he knows what he's doing," Squall grumbled bitterly.

"Enough!" Baralai exclaimed, then dug out the item list. "All right. Rikku, check this and make sure we have everything."

"Okay," Rikku called, taking the list from him. She started checking it slowly, reading everything over piece by piece. "All accounted for."

"That's a relief," Squall grumbled. "Now where's this magical incantation I have to read?"

Baralai pointed forward, indicating an enclosure formed by several drooping trees. "You'll find everything you need inside."

"You stand guard outside!" Rikku shrieked, pointing at Baralai. "Squall and I have work to do!"

"All right, all right. But don't screw around, you both know how serious this is," Baralai complained. crossing his arms and leaning upon his staff.

"Yeah, I know," Squall acknowledged, walking forward. Rikku was only a few steps behind. Once they entered the enclosure, they found it to have more than one twisting path. "Split up?"

"No way. We both need to be there to save Yunie," Rikku admonished, then looked at the two tunnels. "Let's take the left one."

"Why?" Squall asked, looking towards the right. "I was going to suggest the other one."

"Listen to your instincts," Rikku insisted. "I guess we could take the right one if you really want to, but if there's some kind of horrible gut-eating, juice-spewing fat monster down there, I'll never let you hear the end of it."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Squall grumbled, walking in front of her.

"Wait! It's...you know, dark in there! What if we get separated?" Rikku asked, dashing up to him and taking his arm.

"I'm sure we won't get separated," Squall spoke, then raised an eyebrow at her. "You can let go now."

"No, I can't! We have to do this for Yunie!" Rikku wailed, taking his hand. "I'm not going to bite you, geesh!"

"I'm not worried about you _biting_ me..." Squall sighed, then shrugged. "Oh well."

"Cu, oui'na ehdu dryd geht uv cdivv? Dryd'c rud!" Rikku giggled, and Squall had a feeling he really didn't want to know what she just said.

"Whatever," he grumbled. "Let's just get this over with."

* * *

**A/N**: First off, anyone wondering what Rikku said? XD "So, you're into that kind of stuff? That's hot!" :D Silly Rikku. Anyway, I can't believe I went so long without updating this! I was just out of ideas and uninspired. :X Hopefully I won't let it sit this long ever again, and you can expect another update from me soon:D In the meantime, don't forget to review, because I'm a review slut. XD 


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